6:30 p.m. Sunday: Best Place to Impress a Date Without Blowing Tons of Cash

Transparent Theater

You have to give Transparent credit. How many new theater companies manage in two short seasons to produce so many brand-new works? Particularly works that range all over the map, from the romance of Brian Wilson and Aquaman's daughter to a poetry-suffused parallel-universe Russia where political prisoners spout Bob Dylan when tortured? As the group moves into the last show of its second season -- another world premiere, this time an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Night and Day -- Transparent is building both a solid ensemble and a history of challenging, varied work. What hasn't changed is its commitment to making theater that resonates with and inspire conversation among the audience members. To that end, the Sunday performances are pay-what-you-can, and they often feature a post-show discussion with cast members, directors, and stage techs. And because Transparent is doing this great stuff just across the street from Ashby BART, you won't even need a car to prove your hipness to your date. He or she should be equally impressed by all the European accents in the crowd standing around outside before and after the show.

Contact the author of this piece, send a letter to the editor, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.